What does a student services director do?
In learning institutions, a Student Services Director spearheads and oversees the student services office's daily operations. They directly handle student affairs, from academic endeavors to student discipline, including expulsions and suspensions, school security, child welfare, internships, and alternative education. A Student Services Director also participates in developing academic projects and programs, coordinating with internal and external parties to make them possible. Moreover, they also have the authority to implement policies and regulations, developing new ones as necessary.
Student services director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real student services director resumes:
- Support and oversee students from colleges across the country as they organize and lead interfaith service programming on their own campuses.
- Source employers through market research, LinkedIn and cold calls.
- Explore and find additional sources to supplement scholarship funds for minorities.
- Review and edit resumes while providing direction for content in LinkedIn and e-portfolio profiles.
- Attend and contribute to impartial hearings or legally-binding mediation meetings where students' needs are discuss.
- Design and maintain a participation tracking system that will accurately document student participation in the SSS program.
- Provide regular awareness to the institutional community about the objectives of the SSS program and the annual progress.
- Establish new relationships with academic departments (department heads, program coordinators) relate to graduate student recruitment & retention.
- Arrange alumni reception at annual national conference.
- Coordinate and implement campus-wide activities, community service projects and alumni events.
- Provide primary oversight of funding for capital improvement projects and defer maintenance.
- Provide oversight for student internship/co-op placement procedures and articulationagreements with school districts and community partnerships.
- Experience in the support of transition and retention strategies for multicultural student populations to address differentials in attrition and retention.
- Maintain records and meet all ABHES requirements of accreditation.
- Work Microsoft excel, PowerPoint, and word proficiently.
Student services director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Student Services Directors are proficient in Professional Development, Financial Aid, and Support Services. They’re also known for soft skills such as Computer skills, Organizational skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Student Services Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Professional Development, 8%
Collaborate with Vice President of Student Learning to develop and implement goals and professional development related to Student Services mission.
- Financial Aid, 7%
Conducted analysis to determine student financial aid options based on individual circumstances and capacity to pay.
- Support Services, 6%
Provide support services dedicated to the success of each residential student academically, spiritually and culturally.
- Social Work, 5%
Supervised student services personnel (Social Workers, Counselors, Suspension Assistants, Nurses).
- Alumni, 4%
Arranged alumni reception at annual national conference.
- Student Life, 4%
Developed content and managed design and production of student life publications and printed materials.
Most student services directors use their skills in "professional development," "financial aid," and "support services" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential student services director responsibilities here:
Computer skills. One of the key soft skills for a student services director to have is computer skills. You can see how this relates to what student services directors do because "postsecondary education administrators need to be comfortable working with computers so they can use software to manage student and school records." Additionally, a student services director resume shows how student services directors use computer skills: "awarded membership to computer learning center's national achievers club taught, educated and developed curriculum for career development classes. "
Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform student services director duties is organizational skills. Student services directors responsibilities require that "administrators need to be organized so they can manage records, prioritize tasks, and coordinate activities with their staff." Student services directors also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "manage all organizational conflict and change (internal and external with hr assistance). "
Problem-solving skills. This is an important skill for student services directors to perform their duties. For an example of how student services director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "administrators need to react calmly when a difficult situation arises and develop creative solutions." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a student services director: "review students interpret financial aid policies and procedures and assisted in problem-solving initiatives. ".
Interpersonal skills. A big part of what student services directors do relies on "interpersonal skills." You can see how essential it is to student services director responsibilities because "postsecondary education administrators need to build good relationships with colleagues, students, and parents." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical student services director tasks: "conducted freshman leadership seminars in time management and interpersonal relationship. "
The three companies that hire the most student services directors are:
- Strategic Education15 student services directors jobs
- Crown Equipment2 student services directors jobs
- Johns Hopkins University2 student services directors jobs
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Compare different student services directors
Student services director vs. Co-chair
A co-chair is responsible for supporting the duties and responsibilities under the supervision of a chair. Co-chairs help with the implementation of effective plans and programs that would benefit the organization. They handle fundraising events, marketing campaigns for promotional programs, audit reports, and evaluating the committee's suggestions and recommendations for its success. A co-chair must have excellent communication and leadership skills and critical-thinking on developing strategies to supervise meetings and events alongside the chair.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, student services director responsibilities require skills like "financial aid," "support services," "social work," and "student life." Meanwhile a typical co-chair has skills in areas such as "community outreach," "plan events," "social events," and "mental health." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that co-chairs earn slightly differ from student services directors. In particular, co-chairs are 10.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a student services director. Additionally, they're 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Student services director vs. Dean
A dean is responsible for overseeing the educational operations of the assigned department, enforcing school policies, and monitoring the students' progress by coordinating with the teachers and setting up procedures to improve teaching methods. Deans administer educational training and programs for the students, as well as extra-curricular activities to develop the students' social behavior, maximize their potentials, and increase their self-confidence. They also handle the department's budget, accurately allocating resources and funds to different activities and educational materials.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, student services director responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "professional development," "support services," "social work," and "alumni." Meanwhile, a dean has duties that require skills in areas such as "curriculum development," "oversight," "scholarship," and "human resources." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Deans tend to reach lower levels of education than student services directors. In fact, they're 8.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Student services director vs. Registrar
A registrar's role is to process and maintain accurate records within an institution or establishment. They are the main point of communication to obtain various kinds of information. In schools, a registrar is in charge of keeping a student or educator's academic, personal, and financial records. They also have the task of arranging a student's course and class schedules. Furthermore, a registrar may also have other administrative tasks such as responding to calls and other forms of correspondence, producing reports, and process requirements.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, student services directors are more likely to have skills like "professional development," "financial aid," "support services," and "social work." But a registrar is more likely to have skills like "patients," "customer service," "medical terminology," and "patient registration."
When it comes to education, registrars tend to earn lower degree levels compared to student services directors. In fact, they're 16.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 3.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Student services director vs. Chairperson
A chairperson is responsible for managing the overall business team, ensuring everyone's compliance with the company's strategies and processes to reach the highest business goals and objectives. A chairperson's duties also include monitoring the staff's performance, analyzing the committee's performance and decisions, providing reports and updates during meetings, improving the current policies and procedures as necessary, and facilitating committee's programs and special events. A chairperson must have excellent leadership and communication skills to lead the team towards its organizational success.
Types of student services director
Updated January 8, 2025
